A pot culture experiment was conducted to study the influence of NH
4
Cl (AnalaR grade or commercial fertilizer) on soil pH and on the growth, yield and nutrient uptake of cotton (cv. NIAB-Karishma) grown in alkaline soil. The experiment was carried out in a net-house under natural conditions. The soil used was clayey loam with pH 8.61, and ammonium chloride either from commercial fertilizer or of AnalaR grade (both containing up to 25% N) was applied in three split doses, after germination (10 days), at the vegetative stage (40 days) and at the flowering stage (80 days) @ 6, 12 and 18 kg ha
−1
. The application of NH
4
Cl decreased the soil pH and increased the plant height and cotton yield plant
−1
. Plants treated with NH
4
Cl AnalaR grade produced higher yields as compared to NH
4
Cl commercial fertilizer. The uptake of micronutrients such as Fe, Cu, Zn and B was enhanced by NH
4
Cl application in both the stem and leaves of cotton. However, AnalaR grade NH
4
Cl proved more effective than NH
4
Cl commercial fertilizer in all cases.